UTC's TIM Ties to Tablets

If your iPhone battery is running low at the Singapore Air Show, head to UTC Stand L39. The company’s S&IS division – Sensors and Integration Systems – is showcasing a new piece of equipment that will recharge your day.

UTC’s new Tablet Interface Module allows users of tablet computers and smartphones to interface with aircraft systems. Used in conjunction with UTC’s Aircraft Interface Device, which provides security, TIM enables flight-deck users to move data between airborne systems and a pilot’s own iPad.

“We saw a high adoption rate of tablets – mainly iPads – by flight crews,” Bill Baumgarten, business development manager at UTC S&IS, tells ShowNews. “We came up with the TIM to interface those back into our electronic flight bag infrastructure, and tie the iPad in to the aircraft’s power, communication systems, and data ports. Without this connectivity, an iPad on the flight deck is just an e-reader – but with TIM, we can take full advantage of the systems on board the aircraft, and provide applications that are meaningful to the users.”

The demo installation here allows visitors to plug in their own iPad or iPhone and see what the system provides. “We can show them there’s no unique software needed to connect to the system,” Baumgarten says. “Visitors can pull a device out of their pocket, connect to the system, and see some of the benefits straight away.”